4 days of cultural extravaganza at BITS Pilani, Oasis 2016

India’s second largest cultural festival, BITS Pilani’s OASIS 2016 kicked off with the chief guest of the day, renowned writer Amish Tripathi of “The Immortals of Meluha” fame, in lighting the lamp. He appreciated the efforts of the students in promoting history and mythology with the theme “Of Gods and Men”.

Best-selling author, Amish Tripathi at the inauguration

The first event of OASIS was a performance by the Dutch artist Saskia Laroo and her band. An event conducted in collaboration with the Netherlands Embassy, the jazz had the audience grooving till late into the night. The live performance took place at the Rotunda in front of the clock-tower.

Dutch jazz artist Saskia LarooDay 2 of OASIS 2016- Of Gods and Men began late in the night with the annual rock band competition of OASIS, ‘Rocktaves’. Simultaneously, a massive crowd was entertained at the Rotunda by dancers participating in two events- ‘Street dance’ and ‘Desert Duels’. At different locations on campus, participants were searching for clues as part of the OASIS Treasure Hunt, which took place at the same time as Rocktaves.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly Amit Trivedi’s performance in the evening. Huge crowds waited for long. Most of his hit songs like ‘Maanjha’, ‘BadriBadariyaa’, ‘Iktaara’,etc. accompanied by the beautiful and versatile Jonita Gandhi on vocals, and the suppporting band including renowned guitarist Warren Mendonsa made the event a resounding success.

Amit Trivedi’s stellar performance was followed by a rock concert by Warren Mendonsa’s band Blackstrat Blues. Their fluid tunes were the perfect end to an exciting second day.

Day 3 of Oasis saw a lot of events, each more enjoyable than the last.

‘Tarang’, a music event, took place in the auditorium at midnight. ‘The DIY Murder Set’ and ‘Entertainment Quiz’ also kicked off at midnight with the former being a creative writing event. The PCA’s Flash Mob also took place at the same time in the Rotunda.

In short, 19 - 23 October, 2016 will remain days to be remembered for a long time, thanks to the meticulous planning & smooth execution by the students committee of BITS Pilani.